The effect of probiotics on reducing hospitalization duration in infants with hyperbilirubinemia

Background: Approximately 60% of term and 80% of premature infants are hospitalized for hyperbilirubinemia in the first week of life. Hyperbilirubinemia is the most common cause of infant hospitalization and readmission. Due to the high frequency of hyperbilirubinemia in infants and the high costs of treatment, it is necessary to find a way to decrease hospitalization duration. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the adjunctive effect of probiotics on decreasing hospitalization time for infants with hyperbilirubinemia. Methods: In this randomized, controlled clinical trial, 92 term infants with hyperbilirubinemia who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to either the probiotic or control group. Patients in both groups underwent common phototherapy. Once a day, those in the probiotic group were also given half of a capsule of Prokid probiotic, while those in the control group received half of a placebo capsule. The duration of phototherapy and hospitalization, the blood groups of mothers and infants, and each patient’s bilirubin levels before and after phototherapy, direct Coombs test results, and levels of hemoglobin, G6PD, and reticulocytes were recorded. Results: Data from 92 patients with a mean age of 5.25 ± 2.35 days underwent analysis. The control group had 47 (51.1%) patients with a mean age of 5.19 ± 2.51 days and the probiotic group had 45 (48.9%) patients with a mean age of 5.31 ± 2.19 days (P = 0.81). The 92 patients had a mean bilirubin level of 16.70 ± 3.07 mg/dL, with a mean of 16.42 ± 3.53 mg/dL in the control group and 17.00 2.49 mg/dL in the probiotic group (P = 0.37). The duration of hospitalization averaged 3.34 ± 0.70 days overall, with an average of 3.55 ± 0.74 days for the control group and 3.13 ± 0.70 days for the probiotic group. The probiotic group had a significantly lower hospitalization stay in comparison to the control group (P = 0.004). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that probiotics may be beneficial as an adjunct treatment for infants with hyperbilirubinemia by reducing the duration of hospitalization.